Implosion grabs global headlines

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Images of the quake-damaged Radio Network House collapsing into a pile of rubble have captured the attention of people around the world.

Footage of Sunday's controlled implosion - the first ever carried out in New Zealand - has featured in newspapers, websites and televisions news bulletins across the United States, England, Ireland, Australia, South Africa, and Canada.

'14-storey New Zealand building blown up in seconds' screamed the headline in the Las Vegas Sun while Australia's Herald Sun newspaper carried the story and photos under the headline 'Radio Network building hits the dirt'.

It took 47.5kg of explosives and 10 seconds to bring down the modern 14-storey Worcester St building which, prior to the quakes, was home to 400 office workers.

The implosion went off without hitch and has sparked calls for more quake-damaged buildings in the city to be brought down in the same way.